She has spoken out about the traumatic birth of her son, which left her with ongoing health and mental health issues.
And now Louise Thompson has called for more funding for perinatal healthcare as she felt she had been ‘thrown out into the wilderness’ after Leo’s birth in 2021.
The former Made In Cheslea star, 34, had a ‘catastrophic’ birth, bleeding after an emergency caesarean section and again a week later.
She has now said the next Prime Minister should invest in “expanding” mental health care to prevent new mothers from “figuring out what to do” on their own after leaving hospital.
The influencer, who almost died during her ordeal, said the system “needs to change” because she felt there was “no coordination of care” following her painful birth.
Louise Thompson, 34, has called for more funding for perinatal healthcare, claiming she was ‘thrown into the wilderness’ after a ‘catastrophic’ near-fatal birth with son Leo in 2021
The former Made In Cheslea star, 34, had a ‘catastrophic’ birth, bleeding after an emergency C-section and again a week later (pictured with fiance Ryan Libbey)
She has now said the next Prime Minister should invest in ‘expanding’ mental health services to prevent new mothers from ‘figuring out what to do’ after leaving hospital.
“In addition to seeking happiness and continuing to heal, I want to campaign for more money for perinatal health care,” she said in an interview with Women’s health.
“Postpartum women who are mentally struggling with perinatal trauma or other mental health disorders need a safe place to go for support.
‘When there were discussions about me going to a psychiatric unit for mother and baby, I discovered there are only three in London.’
Louise said that if she “listened” to the next Prime Minister or Health Minister, she would “urge them to invest in expanding the services that connect psychiatrists and psychologists with gynecological and obstetric care.”
Despite giving birth at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, she had no access to mental health care there because she did not live nearby.
She said: ‘I felt like I was thrown into the wilderness and had to figure out what to do on my own.
“It seemed like there was no coordination of care — and when you’re already sick, identifying those resources on your own can seem impossible.”
Louise, who is engaged to 33-year-old fiancée Ryan Libbey, said she was fortunate to have a “partner, savings and a supportive family who live locally” but would not have known what to do as a single parent or with another child at home.
Louise has previously told how her son Leo is ‘fascinated’ by her ostomy bag after having one fitted after years of suffering from ulcerative colitis
“Our system needs to change and I want to be part of that,” she said.
Read the full interview in the June issue of Women’s Health, out now
“Last year I would have told you I was the unhappiest person I knew.
“Being able to count these blessings is a sign that I am doing better, just like being able to play with my beautiful son.
“My hope is that sharing this will help all mothers living in the shaky, terrifying, lonely epicenter of postpartum trauma hold on to their own hope that things can and will get better.”
Louise suffered a series of horrific complications after the birth of her son, including being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which led to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Due to the trauma, she initially failed to bond with her son, and her relationship with Ryan was left hanging by a thread.
She lost twelve liters of blood over a two-year period and earlier this year part of her colon was removed, meaning she now lives with a stoma bag.
Read the full interview in the June issue of Women’s Health, out now.